Thank You, Welcome and Giveaways!

Who Wants Free United Giveaways?!

Welcome to all the Million Mile Secrets readers who have come by and supported the blog! The past 2 months of blogging have been fun and a learning experience. In order to thank all new visitors and my existing readers I would like to give away some goodies. Since I appreciate items with real value, that is exactly what I want to give away. How much value? The GPU’s are potentially worth $1000 or more depending on the route! Here is the list of prizes:

Four United Global Premier Upgrades (expiring 1/31/2014)

Fifteen United drink coupons (expiring 1/31/2014)

Two United Club One Time Passes (expiring 1/31/2014)

How do you enter? I am interested in your thoughts and what topics interest you the most. I’m also trying to build a social media presence and your help is very much appreciated. You get one entry per action below. Doing all 3 takes less than 5 minutes of your time and gets you 3 entries. Additional entries are also possible. Winners will be picked from each of the different medias.

Comment: Leave a comment below stating which topics you would like to see explained in a blog post or series (some ideas below)

Facebook: Follow me, like my facebook page, and leave a comment stating which topics you would like to see explained in a blog post or series (can be same as your comment)

Twitter: Follow me and tweet me which topic you would like to see investigated in a blog post or series (can be same as your comment) and include #GTHQwin. Example: @globetrotterhq I want to see more Euro Award chart comparisons #GTHQwin

Earn an additional entry by posting a separate comment below, Facebook and or twitter with a different idea/topic. Up to one entry per media every 24 hour period. You can have up to 21 entries per week.

Some upcoming posts to get your ideas flowing: European airline award chart comparisons, Mileage earning possibilities in Europe through credit cards and other means by country, Hotel reviews, Flight Reviews… If you would like a review of hotels or sites in one of the 70 countries we’ve been to in the Voyages page, let us know.

In order to use the Global Premier Upgrades, please visit this site and keep in mind the rules for upgrades on United Airlines (certain fare restrictions, must be used for travel on or before January 31, 2014, etc). As soon as you know your flight details, let me know so that I can apply it to your reservation. The drink coupons and the United Club Passes have an expiration date of January 31, 2014 (although there are reports that flight attendants and United Club agents don’t always enforce this policy.)

I reserve the right to re-assign the Global Premier Upgrades if the original winner will not be able to use them on an international flight. Once the winner is confirmed, I’ll reach out to them to see if he/she will be able to use the GPU. If not, we’ll pick a runner-up from the comment/facebook/twitter entries.

The giveaway runs from today and for the next 4 weeks through Wednesday, January 8th 11:59 PM (Central European Time). At least one United GPU will be given away each week. Please submit your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Fine Print:I make all final decisions regarding the giveaway and there is no appeal. I’m giving away my hard earned prizes, so let’s make this fun and easy!

I’m blogging live from the Maldives which is a balmy 28C. Last week we were at -11C. Can you guess where?

I agree. I prefer my trip to start from a small airport where security and check in lines are short (or non-existent) and people are usually friendly. You can usually go from curbside to gate in less than 10 minutes.

Matterhorn looks beautiful, not to mention the matching foam art! 🙂 The last (and the only) time I was in Zermatt, it was covered in clouds the entire time. As someone who is learning more about various award travel redemption options/techniques, I would like to see more airline award chart comparisons.

Well it sounds like you need another trip to Zermatt when the sun is shining 🙂 Maybe miles will take you to Switzerland again! Great suggestion on the award charts and this is something I plan on doing in the short term. Thanks.

Great! I just saw that you have a new blog posted. 🙂 I hope to be able to go back to Switzerland again – I’d love to stay in Park Hyatt Zurich using my award certificates and travel to Zermatt and Graubunden via train to check out the mountains again… 🙂

I’d love to see more alternate ways of collecting and amassing points – and not necessarily directly with an airline. With the change and devaluation of mileage and rise of PQS, there MUST be a better way of earning and burning points…

Accruing points via other methods besides flying is how I amass the majority of my miles. I may fly 100,000 miles per year but will bring in up to 1 million total miles and points. The majority will be through other means. I’ll definitely cover this.

For short hops distance based programs are usually better. Other programs like the ANA mileage club are also distance based and have some gems. I’ll be comparing distance based programs as well. Thanks for the feedback.

I would also like to see the comparison of airline award systems based on the rules such as stopovers, one-way award redemption, open jaws, etc. I am somewhat familiar with UA, AA, and DL rules, but if some of the smaller(?) airline rules can be covered, it may useful. (2nd post!) Thanks

I’d like to learn the advanced features of ITA. I have learned a lot about its power and uses on FT, but it’d sure be nice to see everything in one place as a point of reference that I could refer back to.

– How to take advantage of free oneways and stopovers on international award tickets
– Hidden city ticketing tips and examples
– More biz and first class trip reports on various airlines
– The advantages/disadvantages of earning rewards on a credit card that allows you to transfer points to several different airlines (eg, AMEX Plat) versus a card that’s connected with a single airline (eg, Mileage Plus Explorer)

The topic that would interest me the most is a simple, well laid out plan for obtaining minimum-level airline status, which could then in turn be used to reciprocate with other carriers. Which status is the easiest to get that would go the farthest? I realize that this is not “one size fits all,” but there has to be some good, simple strategies for the novice like me. Any help is appreciated.

Also, as many airlines make changes that devalue their frequent flyer programs I’d like to see updates on those changes and what they mean for the program’s members. And, of course, any updates on increased valuation (we can hope!).

I am trying to find availability and to use the least miles to get a family of 4 from USA to Australia traveling together in biz class. (stop laughing I’m serious). Suggestions on an airline or alliance appreciated. Doesn’t have to be in December but it would be preferred.

I would like to see a series about how to diversify your miles collecting into something like 2,500 miles/week so I could have a routine to get me at least 1 or two business class trips per year. I like the idea of having a routine way to generate miles. Perhaps you could have tiers for different budgets!

hi globe trotter! i would like to see more posts and reviews/redeeming for economy/coach seats. most of the bigger name blogs always discuss the lounges/business class seats, but what about for people that don’t care for that and would rather stretch their miles by redeeming miles/points for economy/coat seats?

I’d love to see some information on how to search for korean airlines award space. thinking about using my Chase UR points on them now that United has sounded the death knell. Also, maybe some analysis on the best star alliance partner to credit future flights too…

That’s a complicated one 🙂 All kidding aside, I’ve actually had pretty good service when booking award travel over the phone but since I made 1K last year the agents on the 1K line tend to be more knowledgeable and professional.

I’d like to see a post or two on the thought process behind (and best tools) for searching air award availability and maximizing use of miles/points held, assuming you have destination and rough dates in mind. A kind of soup to nuts, behind the thinking, guide to reward redemption.

So I am going to travel every Monday to Thursday start 1/1. According to UA website, I need 30 segment to be silver. If I fly round trip per week that is 2 segment per week (Assume non stop flight, short distance).
That will take 4 months to become Silver, 8 months to become gold, almost 1 year to become platinum.

I’d like to learn more about how to handle IRROPS situations like figuring out the best re-routes to suggest to an agent and how to get them to re-book you in full Y, as this hardly ever seems to happen to me.

I would love to see more unique content, like the best ways to acquire miles outside of the standard credit card offers/churning (although a compendium of which cards are truly churnable would be useful). Many blogs cover credit cards so if there are other interesting opportunities, that would be much appreciated.

That looks like a bit like the Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) visible from Pokhara, Nepal.

Would like to see an enumeration of the 4 paths to SEZ using airline miles, and every type of mileage currency / program that can be used to fly those routes, with a comparison of the number of miles (and taxes). There are quite a few here, some rarely mentioned, and all the options are expensive (but some are *much* cheaper than AA miles on AUH-SEZ, which is 120k RT for two).

I’d love to see you write a post on the best way to easily redeem miles on the Star Alliance. For example, how does one book awards through carriers using United miles that aren’t bookable on united.com?

I travel with family (spouse and three kids) and it is hard to collect enough points for business award, not to mention the limited availability on business class. Can you do a quick overview of comfortable economy seats?
We flew Air France, United, Lufthansa and Cathay in recent years and they are not comfortable to sit on for more than 6 hrs 🙁
Air France is the best out of the four above… but still not comfortable …

I would like to hear your thoughts on the united aircraft with the best complimentary upgrade odds. First vs coach seat numbers and the plane types that have wifi or live TV and the upgrade may not be as crucial since there are other ways to pass the time.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how AA and US would integrate their million-miler program. Would folks who flew on US, but credited the miles to their UA account, get those same miles applied towards the new AA’s million mile program?

Airline award mileage redemption comparison chart would be a pretty cool tool. Furthermore, you could include routing rules such as “How many stopovers / open jaws are allowed with each airline, what are the most amount of segments allowed… etc.”

I would appreciate your advice on gaining access to airline lounges now that AmEx Plat will no longer get me in. I have had the card for many years and have come to expect lounge access when ever I fly. I guess you don’t know what you have until you loose it.

I can’t use your upgrades in the time frame, so I’m not entering the competition, but appreciate the generosity it shows. But I’d be interested in how as a Canadian I can get in on credit card sign-up bonuses etc such as the ones available in the States. The options for us seem to be really limited compared to yours, but perhaps I’m missing something.

I would like to see posts about the best redemptions from particular programs…..instances when it is cheaper to use a certain type of miles for a certain trip compared to other airline miles…aka sweet spots

With all the devaluations and seemingly alliance-dumping activity lately, is there really a future in mileage earning as a worthwhile hobby. (Let’s use 1 first class international round trip per year on mileage as a near using stick to determine “worthwhile”.)

I would love to see a comparison of major airline award chart sweet spots between non-US destinations. For example, US Airways allows business class redemptions anywhere in the South Pacific for only 30k miles, meaning trans-Tasman flights or flights like SYD-RAR on AirNZ are incredible bargains!

I’d love to hear tips on how to get better customer service from airline call centers. e.g. get transferred to someone who has the ability to give you an upgrade as compensation vs an agent reading from a script. Anything from tips on citing policy, giving the agent additional info on something that they’re not necessarily asking for etc.

I’d really like to see the best ways of earning/utilizing miles for US based programs for ex-pats currently in Australasia, including the picks for best hotels in the region for conversion/redemption in the US.

Currently a Marriott and Hyatt frequent stayer, but have noticed that properties with these programs are pretty thin on the ground in Australia/New Zealand. Any ideas?

I’m confused on whether to change allegiance from one airline to another. Including: whether to switch from delta to one world. whether to credit miles on delta and others to alaska. whether to go for a status match with Turkish or Aegean, and if so, what i need to do. Wouldn’t mind this genre of topics covered in more and simpler detail…

I would love to see a story on developing a comprehensive credit card churn program. This could include a recommended card every other month. There are promotions that come up from time to time that could be included.

I would love it if you can analyze the old/new United award chart with focus on how we can make use of the reduced routes! And going forward what should our strategy be, regarding the balance of elite qualifying and mileage accumulation (with 2 different programs).

You may think this suggestion sounds morbid, but I’m very interested in knowing which of my points and miles programs can be bequeathed in my will. Every adult should have a will, and, with my points and miles running at over a million and a half, I don’t want them to expire if I were to die unexpectedly. I also want to make a conscious choice of which friends and relatives would actually use my hard-earned miles and points and not just throw them away by failing to maintain accounts or ignoring expiration dates. Everyone knows what to do with money and real or other personal property. I can think of very few people I know who understand the care and maintenance of mileage and point programs. Knowing which of these programs live beyond the grave could make these decisions a lot easier for me and for your other readers.

Thanks! I have 3 international trips in economy planned for the first 3 months of next year, including to India, and one of those upgrades would come in very handy.

Hi G-HQ – I’m interested in the best ways to use my United and Air France miles for Economy tickets. Too often blogs focus on the outrageous first/business class tickets and that is just out of my league in point value. Updates on how best to use United Mileage Plus interest me. Thanks!

Another topic I am interested in is the valuation of different miles and points. With the recent devaluation it is difficult to keep track of how much a point/mile is worth in differnt airlines and hotels. I would also like to find out which rewards program has the best redemption value in your opinion.

happy to see that your website is getting TONS of traffic! Keep up the good work! 🙂

This might not apply in general to your primary readership, but I’d like to know how India-based travelers can maximize miles. (A subset of this question: how best to reach Star Gold?) Perhaps you know of other sites which follow this more closely.

I think I saw someone else post this, but a handy guide of options when a flight goes awry (cancelled, overly delayed, or something else) would be very useful. What exactly are our rights? And how do they differ by airlines? By fare class? Thanks.

It seems that you’re quite successful with getting extra upgrades at hotels from your trip reviews. I’d like to see a post on how to communicate with the hotel personnel to score complimentary upgrades, maybe a list of do’s and don’ts.

I would like to learn about different aircraft editions and what some of the latest models offer for their economy and business seats. During my recent travel over the weekend, I noticed a HUGE difference between 767-300 vs. 767-300ER. I also got a chance to be on 737-900ER which was only a month old that offered a beautiful lcd entertainment system.

It would also be helpful to see a post about online tool like expertflyer and how to get the most out of them. For example, I don’t know much about getting free upgrades and would love to learn how to leverage my international travel towards better seats and other perks.

I would love to learn more about crediting flights to carriers within an alliance. For example how to get status faster by crediting flights from one carrier to another. What is the best way to control points and gain status?